My Breaking Dawn
by RLD Flame-point Callie-co
Summary: The Volturi's jealousy forces the Cullens into an all-out war which changes their lives - and the vampire world - forever. Compliant w/ everything through Eclipse & some parts of BD; Renesmee is completely omitted because I'm not a Nessie fan.
1. Deadline

**When I read Breaking Dawn, it was not at all what I had expected. I decided to write my own version as an exercise in creativity and writing practice for school, and decided to post it online to get feedback on my writing from people other than my parents. I would appreciate any comments, constructive criticism, or suggestions for improvement. This is my first time writing fanfiction, so please be kind. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight. All characters and events from the Twilight series are the property of the author. Any characters referenced from other books, TV shows, etc. are the property of the author/creator of the book, show, etc. Any resemblance to other stories on is accidental, because I have not had time to read all the Twilight stories on this site.**

Part One

_Begins with a flashback to the wedding when Jacob showed up to dance with Bella. _

"_I'm so happy you came tonight, Jake," Bella said. She stared up into his black eyes and wished she had Edward's talent to tell her what he was thinking. "I'm also confused. Why __did__ you come? I thought you were furious with me." _

_Jacob frowned as he tried to think of the best words to use. "I __was__ furious, Bell. For a while, all I could think about was how hurt I was and what a big mistake I thought you were making. But then, I realized that it's your life to make mistakes with, and it wouldn't help anybody for me to sulk about it and turn into a bitter old harpy like Leah." _

_Bella pretended to shudder with horror. "You, like Leah? Never, Jake. You're not that kind of person." _

_He shrugged. "I'm going to try not to be, at least. And who knows, maybe there __is__ someone else out there for me. I'll keep looking, anyway. No promises, though." _

_A radiant smile lit up her face. "That's all I want, Jake. For you to be happy. I never wanted to hurt you." She rearranged her face into a pretend scowl. "But don't find anyone else too quickly, now. I'd be so insulted if you had a new girlfriend next week." _

_Jacob laughed, and then made like he was going to muss her hair, then pulled his hand back. "Sorry, I just realized the bloods- Alice, that is, would probably kill me if I messed up your hairdo." _

_Bella laughed at that, too. "You're not wrong."_

Present, Bella and Edward's honeymoon on Isle Esme.

Bella jolted out of her memory of that last conversation with Jacob at the sound of the door being slammed open so forcefully that it banged into the wall. The glass in the door shattered and fell to the ground, reflecting the starlight from the sky above the balcony. Edward stormed in through the open door and tore around the room, gathering up their things and throwing them into neat piles on the bed. "Help me pick this stuff up, Bella. I'll go get the suitcases. We have to head home right now." Bewildered, Bella jumped out of her chair and grabbed the first of her belongings her hands touched. By the time she had added her shorts to the pile, Edward already had the suitcases open on the bed and half his clothes packed.

"Edward, what's wrong?! I thought we weren't going home til next week! Why are you in such a rush?" He ignored her and finished packing in half a minute. Bella grabbed his arm, and he paused to meet her wide-eyed stare. "What's happened? Was that phone call bad news?" A frown flickered across Edward's face as if he were deciding how much to tell her.

"That was Alice on the phone," he said carefully. "She sent an announcement to the Volturi about our wedding. Once they received it, they seem to have got it in their heads that you should be a vampire soon. I really think it's best if you are by the time they get around to checking. So far they've been patient; it would be foolish to press our luck any longer."

Bella frowned as she processed this. "Why do we have to go home? You can bite me right here, can't you?"

"I could, yes, but remember how we discussed giving you morphine first? I didn't actually think to bring any with me, love. Now, if we can make it home by tomorrow, there should be plenty of time…" His voice trailed off, and he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He dialed rapidly, then began arguing in Portuguese with whoever was on the other end.

Bella sank onto the bed and pressed her hands to her temples. Something disturbingly like panic was rising in her throat. _So soon? We haven't even had two weeks to ourselves here, and already we have to go back. I have to be changed NOW. _She gritted her teeth. This was what she had wanted, after all, what she had fought for time after time. _I just didn't think I would be rushed into it, that's all. I thought I would have more time to…what? Ease into it? But I've made up my mind. I know when Victoria was still around, Edward didn't want me to feel like there was a sword over my head, but Victoria was something the Cullens could deal with. The VOLTURI, on the other hand? No way should we risk pissing them off. With what Jane and Alec can do, they'd wipe us out in two minutes._

Edward ended up having to call in a private plane so they could leave Isle Esme, since there were no commercial flights running at 1:00 a.m. Although the pilot was a little grumpy at being called out at such a late hour, he cheered up when offered a $10,000 dollar bonus in addition to his regular fee. "You just have to bring the jet out to the island," Edward coaxed in his most persuasive voice. "I can fly it to the airport in Seattle. You can get some sleep here tonight and catch a boat back to the mainland in the morning."

Once the pilot had agreed, Edward hung up the phone. First he ran all the luggage down to the airstrip, then came back for Bella, who was now dressed for travelling in her usual T-shirt and jeans. She assumed her customary position on Edward's back, and he ran at top speed, let her down at the airstrip, and began pacing impatiently. "Edward, settle down. It's not the pilot's fault he's not as fast as you." Edward took a deep breath and stood still. "I'm sorry, love. I just can't believe this has happened now. Of all the times for Caius to get impatient. I am so sorry our honeymoon got interrupted this way."

Bella smiled coyly. "Well, maybe we can still salvage some of it." She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Edward's. He pulled back, disapproving expression firmly in place. "Is this really the moment, Bella?" She shrugged innocently. "You want the pilot to get here faster. It'll seem faster if you do something besides glare at the second hand on your watch." Edward laughed, surrendering, and returned her kiss.

Finally, Edward unglued his mouth from Bella's and looked up at the sky in surprise. "Do you hear the plane?" Bella asked.

Edward nodded. "That didn't take long at all." He frowned at his watch. "Two hours?! Has it really been that long? This thing must be broken. These watches need repairing every time I turn around."

Bella giggled. "I don't think there's anything wrong with your little timepiece, Edward. I told you it would go faster if you were distracted, didn't I?" He sighed and put his arm around her as they watched the plane descend.

The pilot hopped out of the cockpit and Edward hurried to meet him. "Thank you so much. I apologize for the inconvenience."

The pilot shook Edward's hand. "It's not that much of an inconvenience, Mr. Cullen. Not enough of one that it isn't worth ten thousand extra, eh? Don't know why you'd be in such a hurry to leave, though." He turned his attention to Bella as she joined them. "Especially not with company like that." He gave her an admiring once-over.

"My _wife_and I have our own reasons for heading home early," Edward said through his teeth.

The pilot put up his hands. "Hey, it's none of my business, right? Happy flying. Hope you get there safe." Edward nodded.

"Here are the keys to the house. It's right up that trail." He pointed the way. The pilot took the keys and started hiking.

Bella stepped hesitantly into the plane. There were eight seats in the plane: the two up front, one for the pilot and one extra, and six passenger seats behind those. "Pick any seat you want," Edward instructed as he followed her in. "If you want, you can put up the armrests and stretch out."

Bella considered this. "I think I'd rather sit up front with you, if you don't mind. Your driving frightens me enough when we're just in a car; now that we're in a plane, I think I'd need Carlisle's morphine to get to sleep." Edward rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Bella strapped herself in, but Edward merely put on the pilot's headset and didn't bother with the seat belt, eliciting an eye-roll from Bella.

As they took off, Bella stared out the window so she wouldn't have to watch Edward flying the plane as easily as if it were just the Volvo. _Great, one more thing he can do that I can't. I __swear__ once I'm a vampire I'm going to learn to do all the cool stuff he does. _

Despite her dire predictions that Edward's flying would be even more terrifying than his driving, Bella did doze off on the flight home. When the sound of her breathing slowed and evened out, Edward glanced over to see her slumped sideways against the window. He chuckled and shook his head. _After all this time, she still worries about my __driving__. She should know by now that I would never, __ever__ let anything happen to her. _

As the plane taxied down the runway, Edward leaned over and gently shook Bella's shoulder. "Bella, my love? We've landed. You need to wake up now."

Bella's eyes fluttered open. "Mmm? Are we there already? But we just took off…" She paused and looked out the window to see the runway rushing past beneath the plane's wheels. She looked back at Edward with a chagrined smile. "I did go to sleep, didn't I?" she asked. Edward's smile got wider.

"Yes, you did. And without morphine, too. I don't know how you managed it."

"Okay, okay, enough teasing." As soon as the plane pulled to a stop, Bella unbuckled her seat belt and stood, stretching. Edward retrieved their suitcases and Bella insisted on taking hers. She set her suitcase on its wheels and pulled out the handle, while Edward effortlessly carried his over his shoulder like a backpack. As she reached the terminal, Bella scanned the people milling around the airport, but could see no sign of Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, or Alice. "Where is everyone?"

"They aren't coming to meet us this time," Edward informed her. "Carlisle is at the hospital, collecting everything we might need: morphine, and some donated blood, in case you need to feed immediately after your transformation is finished."

"You're going to give me donated human blood? Won't that make it harder for me to adjust to feeding on animals?" Edward's eyebrows scrunched together as he considered that. "It might make it a tiny bit more difficult, yes. However, it's very important that a newborn be able to feed as soon as possible. Besides, I can't imagine that drinking blood from a bag could be all that appealing. It loses a lot without the thrill of the hunt, you know."

Bella's Mercedes-Benz Guardian had stayed in the airport parking garage when she and Edward left for Isle Esme, so now they loaded their suitcases into the trunk and Bella drove them back towards Forks while Edward tuned the radio to a soothing classical station, then leaned back in his seat and tried to relax.


	2. A Brand New Bella

**WARNING: Part 2 covers Bella's first time feeding, which is rather gross, and some sexual innuendo (nothing too explicit though). Squeamish and easily-offended readers beware! Also, thanks to the 2 people (so far) that have reviewed Part One, I appreciate your input! Hope you enjoy Part two.**

Part Two

The minute Bella parked the Mercedes in the garage, Alice pulled her out and hugged her. "There you are! See, they're here, right when I said they would be," she called over her shoulder. Alice dashed back inside. Bella and Edward followed.

"Where is Carlisle? Has he got everything we might possibly need?" Edward asked urgently.

"Almost," Esme replied soothingly. "It turns out we had to special order more O-positive, because the hospital doesn't have a lot to spare right now; still, we should be able to start in just a couple of hours, maximum."

"Um, while we're waiting, does anyone mind if I go shower?" Bella asked. "After getting up in the middle of the night, running down to the airstrip, and being on the road for the last eight hours, my hair looks like a rat's nest."

Rosalie grinned wickedly. "You're right, it does. A rat's nest that's been chewed on by a cat, that is." Emmett laughed loudly, and Edward scowled at Rosalie, who gave him an unrepentant smirk. Bella shook her head and started up the stairs.

Alice called after her, "Enjoy your shower, since it's the last one you'll ever need."

As the hot water ran over her, Bella pondered how different her life would be after today. _And how different I'll be. I'm sure this is what I want, but that doesn't make the prospect any less scary. I could almost wish I didn't know this was coming, that Edward would just grab me and bite with no warning… no time for me to start getting chicken._

After toweling off, Bella carefully dried her hair until it was stick-straight and dressed in her most comfortable baggy old sweats. _After all, I'm going to be wearing these for about three days in a row; also, I expect I'll be in enough pain from the venom. I don't need the added discomfort of a clingy outfit. _She leaned over the counter and stared into the huge mirror, memorizing her human face so that later she could compare it to her new vampire face. _I hope my new face is as breathtaking as the rest of my family's faces. Will I still be anything like myself, though? Or will I feel like I've been put into a whole different body, like an alien invader? _

These thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door. "Mrs. Cullen, the doctor is ready for you," Edward called through the wooden barrier. Bella took a deep breath and pulled the door open. "Are you ready?" Edward searched her face intently, looking for any hint of indecision or unwillingness.

Bella took his hand firmly and put on what she hoped passed for a brave smile. "I am. Let's get the operation started."

Edward led Bella down the hall to his room. The other six Cullens were waiting, grouped around the oversized bed Edward had put in back when he first had Alice bring Bella there for a "sleepover". Carlisle already had a full syringe ready. "If you would lie down here, Bella," he patted the bed, "we can begin."

Trying hard to keep her knees from shaking, Bella walked to the bed and sat on the edge. She slowly swung her legs up onto the bed and lay back against the pillows. Carlisle pushed up the sleeve of her sweatshirt, rubbed a cotton ball soaked with alcohol on her skin, then injected the morphine into her bloodstream. For a moment, she lay there, her heart racing. Then, her eyes fluttered and closed, and her pulse began to drop.

Carlisle observed her for two whole minutes, then straightened up and told Edward, "She's completely out. Bite her now, so the venom will have the maximum amount of time to spread before she wakes up."

Edward nodded and pulled another syringe from his shirt pocket. "I thought of one thing I would like to try to expedite the process." He pushed Bella's sweatshirt up, exposing her chest. "My venom," he said, and plunged the needle into her heart.

Bella twitched as Edward's venom entered her body. He bent down and sank his razor-sharp teeth into her throat, her wrists, her ankles, and above her kneecaps. Bella's body jerked a few more times and went limp. "Carlisle, what's happening to her?!"

Carlisle pressed his thumb to Bella's wrist and felt her heart still pumping the venom through her system. "It's fine, Edward. The venom is spreading. She'll be just fine." Edward anxiously picked Bella's hand up off the comforter. "Are you sure? She feels limp as an overcooked noodle."

Emmett snorted. "Most unconscious humans are limp, Edward. Calm down." Right on cue, Jasper spread a calm atmosphere through the room.

"Of course she'll be fine. Now, is it okay if I do something else besides stand here and stare at her for the next three days?" Rosalie asked, pouting.

"Hmm, I guess there isn't much else to do here just now," Emmett agreed. "Let's go hunt. We might need our strength when the little monster wakes up."

When Bella woke up, two things came to her in a quick burst of awareness. First, the house was on fire and she was being incinerated. Second, she couldn't move a muscle to escape the flames. _What's going on? Why didn't they get me out when the house caught fire?_ She tried to wriggle away from the heat, or just to convulse in pain, but her body wouldn't move at all. After another torturous few minutes, or decades, she realized there was no fire around her; rather, she was burning from the inside. _This must be me turning into a vampire, then. So much for morphine lessening the pain; instead, it's paralyzed me. At least this way, I can't thrash around and scream, and Edward doesn't know I'm in pain. In fact, since I can't open my eyes or move, he probably thinks I'm unconscious. _

It seemed like forever, but finally the pain started to fade. Not all at once, but gradually, first from her fingertips and toes, as the burning venom finally finished its work on Bella's extremities and started flowing back upwards toward her heart, which was pumping faster than ever now. As the pain receded, her awareness sharpened. She could feel someone gripping her hand, but couldn't tell who. _It should be Edward, but this doesn't feel like Edward's hand. It's not cold or hard enough. _

From above her, she heard Edward's voice calling, "her heart rate has speeded up considerably in the last hour; I think it must be almost finished."

Bella heard the door opening, and then Carlisle's voice answered, "It's only been two days, though. Hmm, I suppose injecting your venom straight into her heart did expedite the process. That was quite innovative of you, by the way."

By now, Bella could feel that the awful paralysis was gone, but she held herself perfectly still so she wouldn't miss a bit of the conversation going on above her. She was even holding her breath, and yet she had absolutely no trouble hearing everything Carlisle and Edward said. "How long do you think it will be before she wakes up?"

"I can't be sure, but it won't be long now. I'll go get the rest of the family, just in case."

"Just in case of what?"

"Edward, you remember as well as I do how wild newborns are. We may need everyone here just to keep her from tearing the house down. I will be sure she gets some blood right away, and then we'll have to keep her inside for a while. If she makes her way down to La Push and hurts anyone, the wolves will be after us in a flash."

Bella kept her eyes shut as she mulled over what she'd heard. By now, the pain was gone from almost every part of her body, as if it had spread all through her and was now being sucked back toward her heart. Bella's heart raced faster and faster, then stopped. She drew in a deep breath, and was stunned by the sensation. She realized that she had been holding her breath for over two minutes, yet sucking in more oxygen didn't provide the relief she had expected. What it did provide was a plethora of smells, so strong they overpowered her mind. She could recognize the scents of all her family, but Carlisle and Edwards' scents were sharpest, because they were in the room with her. Edward's scent was particularly strong, because he was right next to her.

As soon as she inhaled, the grip on her hand tightened. She realized from his scent that it was Edward holding her hand, and that his skin didn't feel cold and hard anymore because her skin was the same as his now. The instant Bella realized that Edward was beside her, she had to see him. Her eyes flew open and she stared at him in amazement. Her vampire vision was so much sharper, she could see his perfect face in microscopic detail.

Edward's concerned expression turned to a smile as Bella's eyes opened. "Bella? How do you feel, love?" he asked gently.

Bella flexed experimentally, pointing her toes and clenching her free hand. "I guess…" she clapped a hand to her mouth. Her voice had come out musical and trilling, like a bell. Edward laughed at her surprised look. His laugh was echoed from the doorway, and Bella twisted to see the rest of the Cullens filing into the room. Emmett was the one who had laughed at her; Jasper was staring at her warily. She pulled her hand out of Edward's and stood carefully, still testing her new body. It moved much quicker than the old one.

"Hey, everybody. What's up?"

Carlisle cleared his throat and said hesitantly, "You didn't answer Edward's question, Bella. How do you feel?"

"I feel…thirsty. Is there any water around here? Oh, wait, I guess water isn't what I need now. Is there any blood around here?"

"Of course, here you go, Bella." Esme handed a plastic IV bag to Carlisle, who held it out to Bella. Her sharp eyes noted that they both moved slowly, as if they thought any sudden movements would set her off. She tapped her foot impatiently, and snatched the bag from Carlisle's outstretched hand. In one sixteenth of a second, she realized two things: one, the scent coming from the bag was the most appetizing thing she'd ever smelled, and two, there was no 'tear here' line on the bag. She forgot all about making a mess; all she knew was that she had to get to the warm red liquid in the next minute. She brought the bag to her mouth and bit, her steel-hard teeth easily rending the thin plastic membrane.

The blood hit her tongue, and it was the most delicious thing ever- nothing could compare to this taste! Bella gulped down the blood as fast as she could swallow until the bag was empty; then she threw the empty bag to the floor. "Is there more?" she asked eagerly. Carlisle held out another bag, and Bella ripped her way through it, and a third. Finally, the burning in her throat subsided. "That was refreshing. Thank you."

She looked up and saw that the other Cullens were giving her half-amused looks, and on Rosalie's and Alice's faces, the amusement was mixed with disgust and horror, respectively. "What?!" she cried.

Alice stepped forward. Jasper reached out to hold her back, and she swatted his hand away. "You've made a bit of a mess of yourself, Bella," Alice told her. "As a matter of fact, you look rather awful. At least now I have a good excuse to throw out those horrid sweats."

Edward growled. "She doesn't look horrible. She looks perfect, as always."

Bella looked down at herself, and saw that Alice was more right than Edward. The blood that had spilled from the bag had flowed down to stain her shirt and mat her hair into wet, sticky clumps. "Eww, I look gross. I think I need a new outfit, and another shower."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Alice sang. She grabbed Bella's wrist and towed her to the bathroom. The rest of the family followed, but kept their distance. Alice shut the bathroom door behind them and tugged Bella's sweatshirt off over her head. "Let's get that blood out of your hair."

However, Bella wasn't listening, having just caught sight of her face in the mirror. She jumped across the room and pressed herself up close to the mirror to get a better look. She was stunningly beautiful, like a statue of a goddess- a very scary goddess, with her glowing red eyes and blood-stained face, but still dazzling. Alice _tsk-ed _at her. "Yes, yes, you're dazzling, but did you want to get that blood off or not? The faster you get cleaned up, the sooner you can get back to Edward."

Bella whirled away from the mirror. "Right, let's get me washed off."

As Alice helped her wash her hair, Bella asked, "Why did Carlisle go get everyone right before I woke up? I mean, did he really think I would tear the house down?"

Alice frowned. "Well, I don't think he exactly expected you to tear the house down, but he wouldn't have been surprised if you had. Actually, you're doing very well, seeing as how you haven't attacked us yet."

After drying Bella's hair, Alice gave her a silk dress. Bella put it on, noticing that the cream colored silk looked dark against her ivory-white skin. "Um, don't you think maybe I should have more durable clothing as a newborn? I'll probably make a lot more messes."

Alice put on a martyred look. "Bella, the first time you actually agree that you need a new outfit, and you think I should give you more jeans? Come on, quit fussing. If you ruin that dress, I'll just get you another one."

A knock sounded on the door. "Bella?" Edward called. "Are you all right?"

The sound of Edward's voice sent a thrill through Bella that was even more intense than the taste of blood. She grabbed the doorknob and yanked. There was a metallic shrieking noise, and suddenly Bella was holding a handful of crushed-doorknob dust, and the door was crashing against the wall, its hinges broken. Ignoring this, Bella launched herself through the doorway and wrapped her arms around Edward. "I am more than all right," she told him.

"Too bad the door isn't," Rosalie murmured.

"That's okay, Rose, we can easily replace the door. Now hush, and don't pick on Bella," Esme admonished.

"I think Bella and Edward might break more furniture before the night's over." Emmett nodded toward Bella (who was cleaning out Edward's mouth with her tongue) and Edward (who was making absolutely no effort to stop her). "Hey, get a room, you two," Emmett said loudly.

"You know, that is a great idea," Bella replied. She grabbed the front of Edward's shirt and pulled him down the hall to their room. She pushed him inside, then closed and locked the door.

Edward blinked. "You are…very aggressive tonight," he said, sounding a little surprised by this new strength of hers. Bella grinned mischievously. "Sure I am- we don't have to be careful anymore." She crouched and sprang at Edward. The force of her leap sent them both flying, and they landed on the bed. Bella pushed Edward onto his back and straddled him, ripping his shirt open. "And I definitely don't plan on being careful tonight."

**All right, guys and gals, that's as much as I'm comfortable writing, so you'll just have to use your imagination as to what she does next (that shouldn't be too hard). I'll try to get Part 3 posted in the next couple of days, but I can't make any guarantees. **


	3. Interference in Italy

**Repeat disclaimer from chapter 1, and pretend I put it at the beginning of chapter 2 (I forgot)!**

True to Emmett's prediction, by the time the sun peeked over the horizon, Bella and Edward had reduced the bed (and the couch, and the desk) to piles of matchsticks and stuffing. After seven hours, Bella was thirsty again, which put a stop to the demolition. After she had chugged down her second IV bag of blood, Edward tapped on her shoulder. "Bella, do you remember how I told you that the Volturi were going to check on you soon?"

Bella frowned. A dim recollection came to her: waking up in the middle of the night, the bedroom on Isle Esme incredibly dark. As Bella replayed this memory, she was astounded at how blurry it was. _It's can't believe I couldn't see every detail of the room just because it was dark! It's like I was blind and deaf all that time and didn't even know it._ After she got over her former sensory deprivation, the gist of the memory came back to her; Edward had said the Volturi were anxious to see her made a vampire. "Yes, I remember."

"Well, Alice looked for them again this morning, and she says that if they don't hear from us soon, they will have Demetri find us. Carlisle thinks it would be very bad if any of them came anywhere near Forks. We've decided to leave here today, and then make plans to visit Italy as soon as possible."

Bella searched Edward's face. Her old human senses couldn't have picked it up, but now she could easily tell that there was something he was holding back. "Okay," she said carefully. "You said 'as soon as possible', so why don't we go to Italy right now?"

Edward scowled; she had touched a nerve. "We need to be sure you have yourself under control, Bella. If we took you to Volterra, and you attacked anyone - human or vampire - the consequences would be severe. However, you have been doing extremely well. Keep it up for a few more days, until the rest of our family is convinced that you can stay out of trouble, and then we will make travel arrangements."

Bella agreed to this plan, so the Cullens packed up and left Forks that day. The only delay came when Bella asked if she could drive by for one last look at Charlie's house. Jasper asserted that putting her so close to humans would be tempting fate, and her request was denied.

They headed through remote forest areas where they would be sure not to encounter people. After two days on the hunt, they tested Bella's self-control by taking her within five miles of a small town at the base of the Appalachian Mountains. Much to Edward and Carlisle's relief, and Jasper's astonishment, Bella resisted the urge to massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk.

The next morning, after hours of debate, they devised a plan to get Bella to Volterra safely. Bella and Edward would take the same private plane they used to get back from Isle Esme, and Edward would again fly the plane so there would be no need for a human pilot on board. Emmett and Jasper would accompany them so they could restrain Bella if needed. At first, Rosalie insisted that she wanted to go with Emmett, but Carlisle maintained that it would be best not to have all eight of them in Volturi 

territory; once Alice scanned the future and saw no danger in store for the expedition, Rosalie grudgingly agreed to stay with Alice, Carlisle and Esme.

The dicey part of the plan was getting Bella through the crowded hangar. When Bella and her escort parted company with the rest of the family, Carlisle, Alice, and Esme piled on the last-minute instructions. "Stop breathing before you encounter the humans; it will be easier if you never catch the scent."

"Get on the plane as fast as you can; don't pay attention to the humans if you can help it."

"Be sure you don't move too fast, though. You can't let people notice anything out of the ordinary about you."

"Whatever happens, stay with Emmett and Jasper. They will keep you out of trouble, right?" Esme said, giving them both a stern look.

Jasper gave off a reassuring air as he promised that he and Emmett wouldn't let Bella out of their sight.

On the day of their departure, Bella sat in the back of the yellow Porsche Alice had generously loaned her. Jasper had parked outside the hangar, and Emmett was in the backseat with Bella, already keeping a restraining grip on her arm.

At long last, Jasper's cell phone buzzed. He held it to his ear for a second, then said, "We'll be there in five minutes." He snapped the phone shut. "Edward says the plane is ready; let's go."

Bella stopped breathing before the car door opened; once they were out, Emmett never let go of her, while Jasper concentrated all of his power into keeping her calm and controlled. All three breathed a collective sigh of relief when they were on the plane. _It's fine, she didn't give us any trouble at all._ Edward smiled when Emmett sent him that thought.

Once again, Bella sat up front with Edward, while Emmett and Jasper sat right behind them. The guys spent most of the flight planning the best route to Volterra, and speculating about how soon Bella would need to feed before entering the city. Bella just listened intently, and occasionally piped up to tell them that she would prefer to make the trip as short as possible, and to tell Jasper that she could make it through a whole day without feeding.

"I suppose in an emergency, we still have some donated blood left," Jasper remarked.

Bella glared at him. "I can go longer between feedings now, Jasper," she said sourly. _Besides, I don't want to drink donated blood anymore. Edward was right about the hunting being a big part of the fun. Even those elk we found in the mountains were more exciting than a __bag__. _Also, since Bella had started drinking animal blood, her eyes were less red all the time. She was looking forward to having golden eyes, because then she wouldn't need to wear sunglasses in public.

Thanks to their superb planning, the four Cullens reached Volterra without incident. Staying in the shadows, the group made their way to the alley off the main square where Edward, Alice and Bella had once been herded into the Volturi lair. Felix was standing in the shady street waiting for them.

"Welcome, Cullens," Felix said, fixing a friendly smile onto his face. He cast an apprehensive glance at the Incredible Hulk-like Emmett, and Jasper, whose battle scars indicated that he was a formidable fighter. Felix merely nodded to Edward, and turned his attention to Bella. He scrutinized her face, trying to determine if she was the same girl he met last year.

"Hello again, Felix," Bella said, removing her sunglasses.

Felix nodded to himself, apparently convinced she was the same person. "I must say, Bella, you look even prettier than you did last time we met. Shall we?" He removed the cover from the hole in the street that led to the underground entrance and motioned for them to precede him into the hole. "Ladies first."

"Do you want me to go first, Bella?" Edward asked.

"No, I will. I'm perfectly safe here," she said with a confident smile. She let herself slide down, and remembered vaguely that she had found the tunnel cold and forbidding the last time she had entered it. Now she registered the change in temperature, but wasn't bothered by it; she could also see perfectly well that there was nothing scarier than a few rats down here. She bared her teeth and growled at the rats, and they scurried away.

Felix led the way into the reception area. Bella noted that a different woman was sitting behind the receptionist's desk, and bit her lip to stop herself from asking what had happened to the last one.

At the door to the room where Aro, Marcus, and Caius waited, Felix stepped into the room first. "My lords, the Cullens have arrived."

"Send them in," Caius's cold voice ordered.

Felix turned and beckoned for the four to follow him. Edward took Bella's hand as they approached the Volturi; Emmett and Jasper dropped back.

The three Volturi gave Bella the same appraising look as Felix had; then, Aro abandoned his throne-like chair. "Ah, Bella, how lovely it is to see you again. Immortality becomes you."

Bella didn't like the way he examined her, but she forced her face into a smile. "Thank you very much."

Caius joined Aro and frowned suspiciously at Bella. "Which of your new family changed you, Isabella?" he asked coldly.

Edward moved forward, defensively putting himself in front of Bella. "I did," he said, his voice as cold as Caius's.

Caius brushed his fingertips across the back of Aro's hand, and an angry look flashed across Edward's face for an instant before he forced the emotion back.

"Edward, would you be so kind as to show me your account of Bella's transformation?" Aro held his hand out, palm up.

"Certainly," Edward replied coolly. He pressed his palm against Aro's.

As Aro absorbed Edward's thoughts, Bella had a sudden feeling of foreboding. She didn't know exactly why Aro was riffling through her husband's mind, but she didn't like it. _He must have seen hundreds of people turn into vampires by now; why is my transformation so interesting to him? What is he __really__ after? _

The instant those annoyed thoughts flickered through Bella's mind, a subtle change in atmosphere swept through the room. Jasper, Edward, Aro and Caius all looked around in confusion. Aro pulled his hand back, frowning. Caius looked annoyed.

"You have now seen that Bella is one of us. Surely our presence is no longer required here?" Edward spoke quickly, like he was in a hurry to get out of there. He looked strangely unnerved, and Bella squeezed his hand, wondering what had just happened.

Neither Edward nor Jasper said a word until they were back in their stolen car; by that time Emmett and Bella were both worried. "All right, you two, what the hell happened in there?" Emmett finally growled.

Edward's voice came out in a low, angry hiss. "Do you know why Aro asked to see 'my account' of Bella's transformation? It was because Caius suspected that the girl we brought with us might not actually be Bella, that we had concocted some ingenious plot to get out of changing her. When Aro read my thoughts, he was scrutinizing every little thing our family has done recently."

"Why would he do that?" Emmett asked.

"Because, although he and his brothers were the ones who demanded that Bella become one of us, the idea of our family adding another member has made them jealous and suspicious. They were all very careful with their thoughts around me, but I am fairly sure they are searching for any excuse to accuse us of breaking the law," Edward said grimly.

"Dammit," Emmett muttered.

"But something else happened right before you rushed us out," Bella interjected. "What was that?"

Edward and Jasper exchanged glances. "I am not entirely sure," Edward said uncertainly. "For a moment, all the thoughts in the room grew less distinct, like I was listening to a radio and something interfered with reception. Jasper felt it too."

Jasper nodded. "Yes, I did. Normally I can feel the emotions of everyone around me, but for those ten seconds I couldn't… it was as if there was some sort of interference with my ability."

Bella's eyes widened. "Do you think the Volturi could have been doing something to you? That maybe they were planning to attack us right there? Is that why you hurried us out?!" She clutched at Edward's arm, and when he didn't respond, she shook him. "Answer me, Edward!"

He met her panicked stare with a grim expression. "When the interference hit, Aro and Caius felt it as well. That makes me think they did not cause it to happen, but some people are quite capable of lying with their thoughts. I don't have any answers, Bella. All I know is that the sooner we get away from here, the happier I will be." Edward punctuated this statement by hitting the accelerator even harder, and the car roared down the road toward the airport.

**I'm sorry I ended up with such a cliffhanger chapter ending, especially because I have a meeting with the high school guidance counselor from hell in the morning; alas, I won't be able to write more for a little while.**

**Also, when checking my stats page, I've noticed that I'm somewhat lacking in reviews here (elbow nudge). Even if all you have to say is 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' I still want to know what you're thinking. Thanks to the readers who have reviewed. **


	4. Disturbing Discovery

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but the computer was unplugged due to heavy rain and lightning.**

Thanks to Edward, he, Emmett, Jasper and Bella made it out of Italy in record time. When they rejoined the rest of the family, they were told that Alice had been keeping tabs on them the whole time they were gone, and she had seen the strange power shortage as well.

Everyone was disturbed when Edward relayed the news that the Cullen family was unofficially on the Volturi hit list. Bella worried that if the Volturi came to Forks anyway, the wolves would get involved. "Now that Jacob's back, I really don't want to involve the pack in any more wars."

Finally, the Cullens reached the consensus that they should relocate to New Hampshire, since Edward and Bella were supposedly attending Dartmouth there anyway; also, they would try to fly under the radar for a while, and watch their step so the Volturi wouldn't have an easy excuse to hunt them down.

"That won't do any good," Emmett growled, and pounded the table so violently that the wood cracked down the center and split into two separate pieces. "If they've already made up their minds to take us out, they'll do it sooner or later, whether they have an excuse or not. Why don't we just take the fight to them now, instead of sitting on our thumbs waiting for them to come after us?"

"Because we would lose," Carlisle said firmly. "With Jane and Alec's abilities, they would incapacitate us in seconds, and pick us off at their leisure. If we had anything that could give us an advantage, or even a chance, we might consider fighting; but, as it is, that course of action would be suicide." Carlisle sighed sadly, and the other seven could tell he was sad that his old friends' greed and jealousy had turned them into his enemies.

With fighting back out of the question, there was nothing to do but hope that the attack would come later rather than sooner. This feeling of helplessness and impending doom took its toll on everyone's morale; just 15 hours after the return from Italy, tense anxiety and short tempers had already become the order of the day. Ordinarily, Jasper would lighten the mood instantly, but that was no longer possible; the mental lead blanket that had disrupted everyone's powers in Volterra had reappeared, and remained there constantly, like rain clouds over their heads.

Jasper, Alice and Edward were all being driven to distraction by the erratic fluctuations of this phenomenon: the interference was always there, making their 'reception' indistinct and unreliable, but sometimes it was worse, and occasionally they could get nothing at all.

"I think the Volturi must have done something to us. I cannot imagine how, but all of this started after we visited them. There is simply no other explanation," Edward said, after a week of getting only fuzzy flickers of everyone's thoughts.

Alice lifted her head from her hands and glared at him. "There has to be some other explanation, because I didn't go to Volterra, and this has been happening to me, too. Even if they did do something to you and Jasper, they couldn't have done it to me while I've been on the other side of the planet!"

Edward put his hands up in mock surrender. "Fine, then, you figure it out," he snarled.

Jasper jumped up the sofa where he had been sitting with Alice and stuck a scolding finger in Edward's face. "Don't you talk to her that way!"

Hearing the raised voices from the living room, Bella darted in and saw that Edward and Jasper were about to go for each other's throats. She darted across the room and used her new-vampire strength to force them apart. "Calm down! I know we're all stressed out right now – I know I am – but fighting with each other won't solve anything!"

Alice rose from the couch and put a hand on Jasper's chest, cutting off the angry retort he'd been fixing to throw at Bella. "Bella's right, Jasper. Come on; let's go hunt for a while."

He nodded stiffly in agreement, and they headed outside. As they passed the kitchen, Rosalie poked her head out. Taking in the looks on her siblings' faces, she shook her head and muttered, "I'm glad I don't have any special powers if this is what it does to you. You three have been a little off the deep end ever since your abilities crapped out."

"Rosalie, could you go somewhere else," Bella asked edgily. "I'd like some time alone with Edward."

"Better you than me," Rosalie answered, and withdrew.

Bella cocked her head, listening to be sure they were really alone, then turned back to Edward. "What is wrong with you? I know it can't be pleasant to lose your power, but – and I never thought I'd hear myself say this – Rose is right. You have been slipping lately. Does it really matter so much to you, to know what's going on in everyone else's heads? To be special and powerful?"

Edward looked shocked, as if it hadn't occurred to him that feeling average might be the cause of his bad mood. "I had not thought of it that way before," he murmured. "But after over a century of being gifted above the norm for my kind, I suppose it is a bit of a comedown to lose what made me special."

Bella gripped his face with both hands and forced him to make eye contact with her. "You haven't lost what makes you special, Edward. With or without the telepathy, you're still the kindest, most unselfish, most amazing person I've ever met. I don't need you to have special powers. Just having you is enough for me." She dropped her hands from his face and lowered her eyes to the floor. "But I'm not sure it's enough for you."

Now it was Edward's turn to force her to look at him. "What do you mean, Bella?"

She sighed. "Don't you know? Edward, ever since your power started getting shorted out, you've been so busy agonizing over it with Alice and Jasper, you've hardly had anything to do with me."

The instant those words were out of her mouth, Edward wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest. "I'm sorry, Bella. I swear I didn't mean to brush you aside, but… to be honest, I didn't want you to see how worried I've been."

If a vampire's mouth could drop open from shock, Bella's would have right then. "What are you worried about?" she whispered.

Edward shrugged uncomfortably. "Oh, a lot of things, at the moment. Of course, the threat from the Volturi is hanging over my head just as much as it is over everyone's, but I think maybe you're right. Maybe having my power taken away, or blocked, or whatever is happening, has been depressing me more than I realized. It could be because I don't like feeling average, as you suggested; what you have to understand, though, is that I normally," he let out a short, humorless laugh at the word, "use my telepathy to act as a sort of lookout for my family. The prospect of not being able to do that anymore… well, I suppose it makes me feel rather useless, and helpless, because I can't really do anything to protect the people I love. I can't do anything to protect you." He broke off, and checked Bella's expression to see if she disapproved of these sentiments.

Bella pulled an arm free of Edward's embrace and reached up to pat his cheek. "Edward, you have to stop thinking like that. I've already said that I don't need you to be specially talented; and the truth is, I don't need you to protect me, either. In case it's escaped your attention, I'm a vampire now. I am every bit as physically capable as you are. Instead of you worrying about taking care of me, we should be taking care of each other. And if we never figure out what's disrupting your power, we can just be average together."

Edward smiled. "I think I could live with that," he said.

She kissed him, and he responded more enthusiastically than he had since before they left for Italy. In that moment, with Edward's arms around her and his lips on hers, Bella felt herself forget about everything that had gone wrong in the last week and let go of all the tension she had been carrying around.

Five hours later, Edward and Bella were lying on the sofa, wrapped around each other and still kissing, when the sound and scent of Jasper and Alice returning jolted them back to the present.

"Well, I see you're feeling better," Alice said a little grumpily.

Edward grinned lazily at her. "I guess I am," he said, and leaned down to kiss Bella's forehead.

"I don't have to guess that you are," Jasper informed him crossly. "All the contentment rolling off you two hit me the second I walked in the door…" Jasper stopped cold as he was hit by the realization that he could feel how happy they were. For the first time all week, the interference was completely gone.

"What is it?" Alice asked.

"I don't know how it happened, but the interference seems to have gone away," Jasper replied.

Alice immediately shut her eyes and tried to see what tomorrow's weather would be like.

"Mostly cloudy, but no rain," Edward reported, having picked the forecast out of her mind as soon as she saw it.

Bella pushed Edward's arm off and sat up. "When did you notice that your powers were working again? What changed?"

"Well…" Jasper frowned as he thought. "I wasn't paying attention the whole time Alice and I were hunting, so I guess it would be when I noticed the change in your emotions."

During this conversation, the other four Cullens had silently appeared in the doorway. Now Esme spoke up. "Perhaps that's it: all the tension of the last few days has been making it harder for you three to concentrate, and that caused your powers to weaken."

Edward shook his head. "I don't think that's it, Esme. It definitely felt like an external influence; every time I tried to pick up your thoughts, it was like I was hitting a wall."

Bella stood and began pacing restlessly. "Oh, this is just great. First this thing has us all tied up in knots for days; now it stops and we have no clue why. Ugh, this is so frustrating!" she exclaimed.

Jasper, Alice and Edward all turned to stare at her.

"What is it?" Emmett asked, looking from them to Bella.

"I just felt another burst of interference," Edward said.

"Right when Bella felt frustrated," Jasper added.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Bella asked, her eyes narrowing.

Carlisle put a hand on her shoulder. "Bella, would you please calm down for a moment," he asked.

"Sure, why not?" She took a deep breath and squelched her frustration and confusion.

Once Bella had calmed down, Carlisle asked Edward, "Can you hear my thoughts clearly now?"

"Yes, I can."

Emmett held up a hand. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that Bella can block other vampires' powers, like the creepy Haitian guy on that sci-fi TV show?"

"That seems likely, yes; but this power seems to be activated by changes in her emotional state."

"That's good to know. Then she can quit blocking me so I can watch for an attack from Italy."

Bella rubbed her temples as if she had a headache. "Guys, slow down! If I've been knocking out everybody's powers for days, obviously I'm not in control. Now you expect me to turn this shield thing on and off? I'm not a TV, people!"

Esme put a comforting arm around Bella's shoulders. "I'm sure you can learn to control this power, dear. Now let's think. Your shield has been up all week, but it came down tonight. What happened differently tonight, Bella?"

"Um… Jasper and Edward got into a fight… Jasper and Alice left… Edward and I talked… and then we…" she broke off, looking embarrassed.

Esme looked quizzically at Edward, and he also turned his gaze to the floor.

Emmett laughed. "Well, I guess we figured out the key to controlling Bella's power. Only if Edward, ah, helps her with that, I doubt he'll be paying attention to other people's thoughts." Emmett leered teasingly at his brother.

Rosalie shot an elbow into Emmett's stomach. "Quit fooling around," she chided. "This is important."

Emmett grinned. "I don't think I'm the only one fooling around today."

Two days later

Bella, Edward and Alice were in the front yard, working on Bella's shield. "OK, Edward, tell me when Alice's thoughts start getting fuzzy," Bella ordered.

He nodded obediently, and she narrowed her eyes at him, focusing all her energy on blocking him. After a moment of intense concentration, she sensed Edward's telepathic power, like a light radiating from him. She focused her shield, and pushed Edward's power back, until she couldn't feel it reaching out anymore. Instantly, she was rewarded by Edward telling her that he couldn't hear a thing. "How about you, Alice?" Bella asked.

Alice's eyebrows pushed together as she checked, then she reported, "I can still see the future perfectly. You're really getting the hang of this 'only blocking specific targets' thing."

Bella acknowledged the praise with a quick nod, but refused to be distracted. "Now it's your turn. You try to hold on to a vision, and I'll try to block you."

Alice agreed, but just as Bella's shield began interfering with her vision, Alice gasped and motioned for Bella to stop. "Hang on! I think there's something important here."

Bella retracted her shield. Alice took in the rest of her vision, and when it was over, she sucked in her breath and closed her eyes, a pained look on her face.

"What is it?" Bella demanded.

Alice just shook her head, but Edward pulled the vision from her mind and answered Bella. "It's the Volturi. They tried to have Demetri keep track of our movements, but because of your shield they haven't been able to find us. They've decided to interpret that to mean that we are attempting to hide some illicit activity, and they will use it as an excuse to attack us. They'll be here within the next week."

Alice darted back into the house to spread the news, but Bella and Edward remained frozen on the lawn, staring at each other with identical expressions of horror.

_When the Volturi realize that I am the Cullen's shield, I'm the one they will try to eliminate. Edward won't be able handle it if I die. _On the heels of that realization came another, worse thought. _No matter what I've said about how I can take care of myself now, Edward will keep protecting me. And if he tries to save me, he will be killed as well. _

**Well there it is. I promise there will be way more action in the next chapter. I didn't intend to have so much dark introspection in this one, but it just happened. I ended up needing more rude jokes from Emmett for comic relief, since the rest of this chapter was so serious. Also, I hope the whole Edward/Bella conversation about power-lacking wasn't too drawn out. Sorry if it was.**


	5. How War Can Change the World

**Repeat disclaimer from Chapter 1; I don't feel like writing it again.**

Once Alice saw that an attack from the Volturi was inevitable, she spent almost all her time watching Italy, so the Cullens would know exactly who would be sent to exterminate them, and when. Unfortunately, this made it impossible for Bella to practice with her shield, since they couldn't afford to have Alice's vision hindered.

Bella therefore made physical combat her priority. Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie all helped to teach her; Carlisle and Esme provided moral support. Edward refused to participate at all, saying it was too difficult for him to see Bella being attacked and not jump in to help her.

At first, Edward had good reason to want to help Bella, because her first attempts at fighting were pitiful. As a month-old vampire, she had trouble keeping her head and not going for obvious moves when attacked. Thanks to Jasper's experience with newborns, he was able to anticipate her actions perfectly; consequently, their first five sessions ended with Bella in a headlock.

Finally, in the sixth session, Bella managed not to panic when she saw Emmett lunging at her. Instead of jumping at him, she stepped to the side, and Emmett's huge fists closed on air. No sooner had she sidestepped Emmett than Jasper reached from behind her, intending to pin her arms. Bella whirled to meet Jasper head-on, grabbed his wrist, and threw him forward. He collided with Emmett in an eardrum-splitting crash.

Seeing that Jasper and Emmett were down, Rosalie tried to come at Bella from the side, but Bella darted behind her and tackled Rosalie from the back. Pressing her knee into Rose's back to keep her down, Bella pulled the other vampire's arms up and held her wrists tightly. "I win!" Bella announced proudly.

Carlisle and Esme clapped.

Jasper congratulated her.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Yes, Bella, that was much better. Now would you get off me? You are pulling my hair."

Bella freed Rosalie's wrists and jumped up. "That was better, wasn't it?" she asked excitedly.

"That was much better. Well done." The voice came not from the lawn, but from the edge of the nearby forest.

Bella turned to see Edward standing there, arms folded across his chest. Because of his perfectly motionless stance, she could tell he was still stressed by watching her fight, but he also looked proud of her improvement. She ran over and threw her arms around him. "Were you watching? Did you see me make Jasper and Emmett crash into each other?"

Edward laughed at her eagerness and rumpled her hair. "Yes, I was watching."

"You've watched me fight all this time? Well, how does it look? How do I look?"

"Very good, considering how new to this you are. I must say I'm amazed. What would you say to practicing with me now?"

Bella's eyes widened. "You want to practice fighting with me?"

Edward nodded, and for the next two hours, he coached her on avoiding common newborn mistakes and which moves would give her the best chance against more experienced fighters; although, "to be honest, I'm rather hoping you won't have to deal with more experienced fighters," he commented.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I sort of have a plan…"

"What plan? Tell me!"

Edward gauged her expression before continuing. "You know that when the Volturi attack, their first move will be to have Jane and Alec incapacitate us. I am sure that neither of their powers will work on you; you might still have a chance of stopping them after the rest of us are out of action."

Bella turned Edward's words over in her head for a moment. "So, what you're saying is that maybe I could use my shield to fight their powers, so they couldn't hurt the rest of you?"

"You could certainly do that; however, I had in mind you attacking Jane and Alec, and putting them out, permanently. Though if you don't want to do that, I wouldn't blame you in the least," he added hurriedly.

"You want me to kill Jane and Alec." Bella made it a statement; making it a question would have been stupid, because the answer was clear on Edward's face. Yes, he wanted Jane and Alec dead.

"It's not that I like the idea of bloodshed, Bella, but after seeing into the Volturi's minds during our last trip to Italy, I don't think we have any other choice. The envy they all feel toward us… it is never going to go away. Aro already wants Alice more than anything, and once he sees the power you have added to our family, he will never be able to leave us alone.

I have not told any of the others about this. Carlisle and Esme… they both hate violence so much, and the Volturi once were Carlisle's friends; they would have great difficulty accepting the fact that we have to kill them."

Bella frowned. "You mean I have to. Okay, say I can take out Jane and Alec. That still leaves the rest of the guard. You don't seriously think the eight of us can take all of them, do you?"

"No, taking out all of the guard is not my intention. The guard is only following orders from Aro, Marcus and Caius. Those three are the ones we need to eliminate. Once they are gone, the guard will be left directionless."

_I can't believe we're actually talking about this – killing the rulers of the vampire world! But Edward seems certain that it's the __only__ way we'll be able to live in peace, without this threat over our heads. If this is what it takes to protect our family and our way of life, then… _"I'm in. Tell me exactly what to do."

Friday morning, the day Alice had predicted the Volturi and their guard would arrive, Bella slipped off into the forest by herself. She had spent the last three days reviewing the plan with Edward, and using her shield to prevent Alice seeing the plan. Edward was certain that the others were holding out hope that the Cullens could force the Volturi to leave them alone; "if I said I want to overthrow them, they would tell me I've lost my mind," he had said flatly when Bella objected to keeping the plan secret. Therefore, Edward's idea was to make fighting unavoidable. "Once you kill Jane and Alec, there is no way the guard will not attack us," he said. The instant the guard was busy with the other six Cullens, Bella and Edward would take care of Aro, Marcus and Caius. _Sounds simple enough, if we can just survive. That's always the hard part. _

Even lost in her unpleasant thoughts, Bella recognized the sound of Edward's footsteps approaching her. He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. "It's time, Bella. This morning, Alice saw which way they will come. If we head them off at the opposite edge of this forest, we can stop them from getting too close to the nearest towns. There's no reason humans should be in danger today, too. And, Bella, whatever happens, remember…"

"I know," she interrupted. "Keep holding on to my focus. Don't lose it when I see the rest of you get blinded and deafened. Let Alec think he's put me out until the last possible moment."

Edward sighed into her hair. "I was going to say, remember that I love you. More than anything else in the world, more than my own life."

For an answer, Bella kissed him, quick, hard and passionately. "I love you, too. We'll make it through this. You know that, right? We'll do this together, and whatever's meant to be will work out."

"Perfectly," Edward agreed. "Now, let's go." He took Bella's hand, and together they raced straight through the forest.

At the edge of the forest, they found their family waiting. Esme, Alice, Rosalie and Jasper all looked stressed. Emmett was watching for the Volturi guard's approach with more anticipation than anxiety. Carlisle looked as if he was in pain.

Bella gave him a concerned glance, but before she could ask him what was wrong, Edward whispered, "it's just hard for him to accept that there is no chance of reasoning our way out of this. He once counted them as friends, after all." Lowering his voice even more, he breathed in her ear, "Now you see why I kept my plan between you and me."

Alice drew in a sudden, sharp breath. "Oh! Oh, no…" she murmured.

"What is it?" Carlisle asked sharply.

"A snap decision," Alice whispered.

Jasper opened his mouth to ask what kind of snap decision, but Bella already knew. Just as she could sense Edward's telepathy and Jasper's charisma radiating out of them, and Alice's vision reaching out into the future, she now sensed a different, darker power spreading across the Cullens.

Bella watched in transfixed horror as her family, her Edward, the man she had given up her whole life to be with, were all struck senseless around her. Not her, though. She could see with perfect clarity the hideous outcome of the situation. _The guard will pick off the people I love one by one, and they won't be able to do a damn thing about it. I can't stand to watch this. Oh, why don't I have some way of stopping my shield from protecting me? Then at least I wouldn't have to watch my family die… _

She was snapped out of this hopeless spiral by pressure on her hand. Startled, she realized that she and Edward had never let go of each other. His face was turned toward her, and although he couldn't see her or feel her hand in his, he whispered, "Bella… if you can still hear me… you know what to do."

_I know what to do. I'm not helpless anymore. We've gone over the plan, and I've practiced for this, and I know what I have to do. I can do it. _Steeling herself, Bella pulled her hand out of Edward's and watched the Volturi and their guard advance. She hurried to mimic the others' expressions: shock, fear, and anger, as they realized they had been ambushed in an underhanded sneak attack.

Aro, Marcus and Caius stopped several yards short of the frozen Cullens. The guard, with Alec and Jane right behind them, pressed forward, leaving the three aged, powdery-skinned vampires unprotected. Alec and Jane halted just six feet from where Bella stood. _What luck._ The guard proceeded toward their victims, and Bella saw her window of opportunity.

Abandoning all pretense, she launched herself at Alec and tackled him. His distraction caused his hold on the other Cullens to slip, and they came back to themselves and counterattacked the guards who had been about to dismember them.

Bella, however, only registered this on the periphery of her mind. Most of her attention was focused on ripping into Alec, tearing him to pieces. Jane's normally apathetic face contorted with rage at the assault on her twin, and she attempted to burn Bella, but that hadn't worked when Bella was just a human; now that she was a vampire, Jane was no match for her at all.

Having finished with Alec in two seconds, Bella turned her fury on little Jane. _Forget just taking away her power, I want to take her life too, the little sadist. _In less than a minute, Jane and Alec were both reduced to sparkling vampire bits 'n' pieces.

Then Edward tossed aside the guard member he had been fighting and joined Bella; he yanked her away from the pile of Jane-and-Alec-confetti, pulled a silver cigarette lighter from his pocket, and set them on fire.

As Jane and Alec burned, Edward and Bella turned their attention to the most important part of the plan: eliminating the Volturi themselves. When they advanced on the ancient vampire rulers, Caius greeted them with an enraged glare. "How dare you?! I knew when Demetri could not find you, that you Cullens must be engaged in some sort of unpardonable offense, but even I never dreamed you would rebel!"

"Rebel?" Edward repeated coldly. "Oh, no, Caius, this isn't a rebellion. It's a revolution." With that, he and Bella leapt forward and attacked the Volturi.

Aro's bodyguard, Renata, tried to repel them, but Bella's shield completely negated Renata's. Without her power, Renata – and her masters – were helpless. Aside from the fact that none of them had been in a fight for over three millennia, Edward and Bella were younger, faster, and more motivated; they had the ancient vampires ripped apart in less than a minute.

Of course, the dismantling was accompanied by grating metallic shrieks, which alerted the guard. Four of them, including Demetri, charged at Edward and Bella, intent on reassembling, or at least avenging, their masters. With a feral snarl, Demetri lunged at Bella, reaching for her throat, but Edward barreled into him and they tumbled backward.

Edward was already ripping at the other vampire before they hit the ground. Bella, Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Alice quickly dispatched the other three who had attempted to avenge the Volturi, while the remainder of the guard watched, shocked and more than a little frightened.

"Are you going to kill us all, then?" whispered Heidi.

"I assure you, we do not want to," Carlisle said. "If you are willing to cease attacking us, I see no reason to end more lives today."

Edward, having finished immolating all the fallen guards, streaked back to his family and stopped beside Carlisle. "I didn't want to end any lives," he said quietly, his voice burning with regret. "You need to understand, though – the last time we went to Italy, I heard what was in their minds. They were never going to leave us alone."

Carlisle patted Edward's shoulder reassuringly. "I know, son. The moment Alec ambushed us, I knew that they came for a massacre, not a diplomatic discussion."

"They certainly got a massacre," said Felix. He approached the Cullens slowly and cautiously, with his hands held palm-up at chest height, like a suspect surrendering to police officers. "And we will definitely not attack you. We are at your service." Felix bent into a deep bow, and every remaining member of the guard copied him.

"Wha- what does this mean?" Bella stared in perplexity at the guards, then at her family, all of whom seemed as dumbfounded as her.

"It's another new decision," Alice said after ten seconds of uncomfortable silence. "The guard paid their allegiance to the Volturi. Because we have defeated the Volturi, their allegiance is now to… us." She ran a hand through her spiky black hair, obviously shell-shocked by this new development.

"That is correct," Felix said, straightening out of his bow. Again, the rest of the guard copied him.

"Hold on, now," Emmett said. "We don't really need a guard. We can take care of ourselves… as you just saw."

"I know we don't need their protection, but we could still use their help," Jasper said slowly. All eyes turned to him. "Think about it. The Volturi became corrupt over the millennia, but their initial purpose – protecting our kind from exposure – was a good one. If immortals are allowed to do whatever they please, with no regard for secrecy, many of them will feed much more often, and the human population will be decimated."

"So what are you saying?" Esme asked. "That we should assume the duty that the Volturi performed?"

"That is exactly what I am saying. And for that, we could use the guards' assistance. It's not a light responsibility."

The Cullens thought about that, frowning or biting their lips, until Felix interrupted. "Well? What do you say?"

Carlisle stepped forward and shook Felix's hand. "We look forward to working with you."

One week later

"Bella! Come here!"

Bella's head jerked up at the sound of Alice's voice. "I'll be right there!"

"Thank goodness. I need a reprieve from this little beast," Felix muttered.

Bella laughed and pressed her knee once more into the small of his back before unpinning his hands and letting him up.

"I told you she was tougher than she looks, didn't I?" Edward asked.

"And she's very eager to refine her fighting skills," Jasper observed.

"Of course I am," Bella said. "If we're going to keep unruly vampires in line, I need to be ready for anything. So, when I get back from doing whatever for Alice, who wants to be my next sparring partner?"

Jasper, Edward and Emmett all roared with laughter as Bella eagerly scanned the ranks of the ex-Volturi warriors, all of whom wore reluctant expressions.

"I'll give you a minute to decide, then." Bella ran through the back door and into the living room where Alice waited for her.

"This came for you in the mail," Alice said, holding out an envelope.

Frowning, Bella examined it. The return address said Forks, Washington. She tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter, instantly recognizing Charlie's handwriting.

Bella,

How come I haven't heard from you in so long? I waited to write because I didn't want to bother you on your honeymoon, but it's almost time for school to start now.

I just want to know how you're doing. Have you and Edward got your housing situation figured out? Are you keeping touch with the rest of the Cullens? How's Alice these days?

I'm sure you'll be pretty busy for a while, what with just starting college and all, but come visit when you get some time off. It's kind of lonely without you, but Sue Clearwater's been keeping me company lately. She probably feels a little lonely too, now that summer's over and Leah's back at Washington State, and Seth's at school all day.

Jacob says hi. He's starting his senior year next week. He says he hopes you're doing okay and that you're happy. Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed a little anxious when he told me he really wanted to know if you're doing all right.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Dad

After she was done reading, Bella stood perfectly still as waves of nostalgia washed over her. Seeing Charlie's writing, and hearing news from Forks had given her the strangest feeling, a scorching pressure behind her amber eyes. It took a minute for her to realize that the feeling was a desire to cry, and an inability to do so.

"Bella, are you coming back out?" Edward called as he entered the house. "I think John has plucked up the courage to spar with you. Or he lost when they drew straws…" Edward trailed off as he took in the look on Bella's face. "What's the matter, Bella?"

She held out Charlie's letter. Edward read it, and then looked back at her. "I'm sorry this has upset you," he said softly.

"I knew Charlie or Renee would try to contact me eventually. I just didn't expect it to hit me like this."

"Do you want to go back to Forks, to visit?"

"I can't. I look so different now… there's no way Charlie wouldn't notice. And if I made a human suspicious, the Cullen guard would have to take me out." Bella forced a teasing note into her voice.

Edward smiled, reassured by the apparent upturn in her mood. He fetched a sheet of stationary from the desk in Carlisle's study and handed Bella a pen. "Write back to Charlie. I'll go tell John he can relax for a few more minutes."

Bella sat down at Carlisle's desk and thought carefully about what she wanted to say, and how much was safe to say; then she began writing.

Dear Dad,

Edward and I are back from our honeymoon and settling in to our house in New Hampshire. I know, I couldn't believe it either when I found out we already had a house; it was a surprise gift from Carlisle and Esme. I'm really looking forward to starting school, but not to having to get up early for registration. I fully expect it to be a nightmare, but Edward says that after watching Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper go through it, he knows a few tricks for avoiding the mile-long lines.

Alice is great. You know she's at Cornell with Jasper this year, but she calls every weekend. I told her I got a letter from you, and she says to tell you 'hi' for her when I write back.

I don't know if I'll be able to visit anytime soon, unfortunately. We don't have any holidays until Thanksgiving, and I think Edward wants to us to spend Thanksgiving with his family; he really misses his brothers. I'm glad you've got Sue for company. I'd really hate to think you're all alone down there.

Tell Jake that I'm doing fine, and I hope he is, too. If you show him this letter, hi Jake, good luck with senior year. It's not as bad as it looks. After all, I survived! I miss you all, but other than that, I'm just great. Please tell Seth that Edward says hello.

Thanks for writing, Dad. If I can't visit, I promise I won't lose touch with you.

Love always,

Bella

**I guess you can tell the story's almost over; I am going to do an epilogue, where Bella revisits Forks 22 years later and finds out what happened to all her old friends after she left. And yes, she'll see Jacob again.**


	6. Return to Forks

Epilogue: 22 years later

"Are you sure this is where we need to be?" Bella asked.

Edward and Felix raised their eyebrows.

"I mean," she clarified, "obviously, we need to be here, but we've been hearing about the police finding dismembered bodies with their blood drained all over Seattle. How do you know this neighborhood isn't just another dead end?"

"I know it's frustrating, Bella," Edward said, squeezing her shoulder. "But we have to keep looking until we find this vampire; it's our job. Besides, Felix thinks this is a good place to look, and I think we should listen to him. He's been doing this a bit longer than we have."

As if to prove Felix right, a loud shriek sounded from just around the corner. Edward, Bella and Felix raced in that direction, where they found a vampire latched onto the throat of a young woman who had screamed once and was unable to do so again. Edward and Felix pulled the vampire off the woman, who sagged toward the pavement; Bella caught her before she hit the ground.

Pressing her fingers to the woman's wrist, Bella felt her pulse weaken and sputter out. "It's too late," she announced, before realizing that Edward and Felix weren't paying attention; they were too busy restraining the other vampire, who was not happy at having his meal taken away. Bella gently lowered the dead woman to the pavement and gave the captive vampire a sharp slap in the face. "Settle down, and quit growling at my husband and our friend," she ordered.

The vampire snarled when she slapped him, but as he got a better look at her face, his expression shifted from rage to apprehension. He twisted around to take in Edward's and Felix's faces, and when he saw that they both had golden eyes identical to Bella's, his expression shifted to awe and fear. "Oh, wow," he breathed. "You're the Cullens, aren't you?"

"Technically, just the other two…" Felix began, but Edward cut him off.

"Yes, we are," he said.

"That is so cool!" the stranger exclaimed. "I heard all about the way you took down the Volturi 22 years ago, but I never thought I'd ever actually meet you, like, in the flesh, man. Why'd you take my dinner, though? I mean, if you want her, I guess that's cool…"

Edward held up a hand, and the stranger immediately clammed up. "We do not want your 'dinner'. In fact, your eating habits are a bit of a problem for us."

The stranger frowned. "Yeah, I heard some rumors that you hunt animals instead of people, and I guess if that's how you roll, it's cool, but I'm like, animals, dude? Like, how good can that taste, y'know what I mean, dawg?"

Noticing that Edward's jaw clenched harder with every word the other vampire spoke, Bella decided it was time to intervene. "What's your name?" she asked, slipping between the obnoxious stranger and Edward. When the stranger replied that his name was Ty, she continued, "Well, Ty, we aren't contesting your right to hunt as you prefer, but you seem to have been going a little overboard lately. The police have noticed that something's going on…"

Bella, with some help from Edward, began explaining to Ty that vampires needed to remain inconspicuous, and that in order to do that, some restraint was necessary.

Felix, meanwhile, pulled out his cell phone and called Heidi to tell her that the culprit had been found, and she and her team could stop looking.

Finally, after two hours of lecturing, Ty said, "Well hey, dude, if you need me to like, chill out for a while, sure I can do that. I mean, I don't want you to have to like, whack me or nothin'. Hey, maybe I should even try the whole 'vegetarian' deal. Like, if you guys can do it, it must not totally suck, huh?"

"Bella, what did he just say?" asked Edward, who had made no attempt to hide his exasperation with Ty's vernacular.

"He's agreeing with us," Bella translated. "And he understands that we'll be keeping an eye on him to make sure he sticks to the agreement, don't you, Ty? Just shake or nod," she added, catching the look on Edward's face as Ty opened his mouth. Ty nodded quickly.

"That's a relief," Edward said, and Bella wondered if he was relieved by Ty's compliance, or by not having to hear him speak again. "Well, now that we have rectified this situation, I suppose we can go home. Felix, do you know where Heidi, Gregor and William are?"

As Felix led them to the street corner where they would rendezvous with the other three, Edward noticed that Bella was hanging back, gazing around at the buildings and chewing her lip. He fell back until he was in step with her and squeezed her hand to get her attention. "Bella? Since I cannot hear what you are thinking, please tell me."

She hesitated before responding. "Nothing, really. It's just that it's a little weird being here… and knowing how close we are to Forks."

"Ah, I see. Do you want to drop by Forks before we go home, Bella?"

She considered carefully before answering. "Maybe… if it's not too much trouble… I think I would like that. But I don't know… I mean, if I met anyone that I used to go to school with, what would I say?"

Edward thought for a moment, then told her, "By now, you and I should be around forty, so I suppose you could pretend to be our eighteen-year-old daughter. As a vampire, you do look similar to me, but you also look somewhat like your former self; people could believe that story."

"Sounds good, but what will the others say?"

"Nothing. I can keep them occupied for one afternoon – I can take them outside of Seattle to hunt. You only need one afternoon, right?"

Bella said that one afternoon was plenty of time, so the next day, while Edward, Felix, Heidi, Gregor and William were hunting in Mount Rainier National Park, Bella got in her Ferrari and drove to her old hometown.

Once she reached the town, she drove slowly, taking in all the familiar sights. When she saw Newton's Olympic Outfitters, she couldn't resist pulling in to the parking lot and getting out of her car. _It looks exactly the same as it did when I worked here, like I've gone back in time somehow. I wonder if everything's the same inside as well. _

Bella entered the store and meandered down the aisles, reminiscing about all the days she had spent stocking these shelves. After fifteen minutes of aimless wandering, she was pulled out of her memories by a man's voice asking, "May I help you with anything, miss?"

Startled, Bella spun around and saw a tall man with short, pale blond hair and a neat polo-shirt-and-slacks outfit frowning at her. Looking at the man, she felt the strangest sense of recognition – there was something very familiar about him. He seemed to be having the same feeling about her, because he uncrossed his arms and came closer for a better look. "What's your name, miss?" he asked politely.

"I'm Bel- er, Belinda Cullen," she told him. _I can't believe I almost said 'I'm Bella'; this man could be someone I know! _

The man's eyes widened. "Cullen, did you say?"

"Yes, that's right. Why, does the name mean anything special to you?"

"Oh, no, it's just that I went to school with some people named Cullen, but after they graduated, they all went off to college and I haven't seen or heard of them since. I'm Mike Newton, by the way."

_Mike Newton! Wow, he doesn't look at all like a puppy dog anymore. He looks pretty good, actually. _Bella's head was spinning as she shook hands with Mike. Mike, however, didn't seem to notice anything as he prattled on, "You wouldn't happen to know any of them, would you? I don't mean to pry, but you look a lot like them… and you look a lot like Bella Swan," he added very quietly.

Bella decided to test out her cover story. "Bella Swan? That was my mother's name before she married. So you knew my parents in high school, then? Bella and Edward Cullen?"

Mike looked he'd just been hit with a bag of bricks. "Edward and Bella's daughter? Well, I guess you are. You sure do look like them. What brings you to Forks, Belinda?" He suddenly seemed to have realized that there was something strange about a visit from the 'daughter' of classmates he hadn't seen for over two decades.

"Oh, nothing special. I was just in Seattle, and I remembered my mom told me she used to live around here, so I couldn't resist having a look. I think she and Dad said that my… grandfather… still lives in Forks? You don't know where I could find him, do you?"

"Sure I do." Mike gave her the address of the house she used to live in. _This feels so strange, pretending I don't know my way around Forks, calling Charlie my __grandfather__, calling me and Edward my __mom and dad__. But I have to do this; after all, I can hardly say Charlie's my dad, because he probably __does__ look more like my grandfather now._

These uncomfortable thoughts dogged her as she drove to her old house and, resisting the urge to use the key under the eave, knocked on the door. After a moment, Charlie opened it, and stood staring at her. She stared back, seeing that she had been right – Charlie did look like he could be her grandfather. He still had most of his hair, but it had turned from brown to gray, and his face was more wrinkled than she remembered.

"Hello," she said when the silence had grown unbearable. "My name is Belinda Cullen, and I'm looking for Charlie Swan… my grandfather. I hope I have the right address…"

Charlie exhaled, blowing a gust of air into her face. "You came to the right place. I'm Charlie Swan. So you're my Bella's daughter, eh? Why don't you come on in?" He held the door open wide.

Bella stepped inside, fighting to keep her face free of the nostalgic sadness that hit her as she walked into the living room, and peered into the kitchen. _I remember cooking in there, and hearing games on TV from in here. Well, at least that much is the same. _ESPN's Sports Center was blaring away, but Charlie switched it off as he sat in his favorite armchair, leaving her on the sofa.

"So," he began awkwardly. "What brings you here?"

Bella gave the same story she had given Mike, watching Charlie's face closely for signs of disbelief. Thankfully, he accepted her carefully constructed tale of how Bella and Edwards' job kept them too busy for visiting (and her highly ambiguous description of that job) and how she was in Seattle on a trip with her boyfriend and a few of his friends.

Charlie inquired about the activities of the rest of the Cullen family as well; so Bella obliged with stories about how 'Dr. Cullen' was preparing to retire and go with 'Grandmother Esme' to the site of her latest architectural restoration project (_which is true, except for the 'Carlisle retiring' part; he's really telling his colleagues at the CDC that he's taking a vacation_), how 'Uncle' Emmett and 'Aunt' Rosalie were on a trip to Salt Lake City (_to give another neophyte vampire lessons in staying unnoticed_), how 'Aunt' Alice was working in the stock market (_predicting which way it's going, to keep our 'projects' and travel funded_) and 'Uncle' Jasper was a self-help therapist (_convincing other vampires to try 'vegetarianism'_).

Just as Bella finished her stories about her 'aunts, uncles, and grandparents' and the overview of her life as 'Belinda' Cullen (including a description of her boyfriend – _sorry about borrowing you for this, Felix_) her sensitive ears picked up a car turning into the driveway, then the door being unlocked. Charlie went to the door, and Bella eavesdropped as he told Sue about the surprise visit from his 'granddaughter'. Sue covered it well, but Bella heard the note of stress in her voice as she told Charlie what a nice surprise this was.

When Sue entered the living room, Bella stood and smiled as Charlie introduced them. "Sue, this is Bella and Edward's daughter, Belinda. Belinda, this is my wife, Sue." Bella and Sue greeted each other politely, but neither offered to shake hands. As Sue and Charlie's dinner cooked, Sue eyed Bella intently, and Bella worked to keep her nose from wrinkling at the revolting aroma of human food that assaulted her olfactory nerve.

Finally, Sue asked Charlie to take the potatoes out of the oven and set the table. Once he was out of earshot, Sue said quietly, "So, I see everything worked out well for you… Bella."

Bella nodded, oddly relieved to be able to drop the charade. "Yes, I'm doing very well, and I'm glad to see that you and Charlie are still together. I wish Edward and I could have come for your wedding, but there was no way we could have pulled it off. And we have been busy. I just came by today because we were in Seattle, and I really wanted to see Charlie again."

Sue smiled. "He's glad you came. Don't worry, Bella, I'm taking good care of him."

At that moment, they were interrupted by Charlie sticking his head out of the kitchen. "Belinda, can you stay for dinner, or should I just set the table for two?"

"Just for two; I really need to get back before Felix has the National Guard looking for me."

Charlie ducked back into the kitchen, muttering, "another overprotective boyfriend, huh? Just like how Edward always fretted over everything Bella did… it must be genetic."

Bella turned back to Sue and quickly said, "I also wondered how Jacob's been since I left; do you know where I can find him? Or would it be better if he didn't know I'm here?"

Sue weighed this question for a minute before answering, "After you married Edward and left, he was pretty broken up for a long time. But then he got better, and I think he's finally moved on. He has a new girlfriend now, you know."

"Good for him; I'm glad he's happy. Is this your way of saying it would be better for him not to see me?"

Sue smiled. "No, I think he can handle it now. If you'd come a year ago, before he took up with Lizzie, it might have been another story, but as it is, sure you can go see him. He and Lizzie are in town visiting Billy, so you know where to go."

Bella thanked Sue and said goodbye to Charlie, being very careful not to touch his bare skin as she quickly hugged him.

She drove down to La Push and waited outside until Jacob came out to put out the garbage. As he replaced the lid on the trash can, she came up behind him and quietly said, "Hello, Jake."

Jacob spun around as the soft, musical voice hit his ears. The beautiful, golden-eyed girl standing there was so pale that if he didn't know better, he would have thought he was seeing a ghost; however, he didn't think a ghost would be wearing designer jeans, a fluffy white angora sweater, and expensive-looking suede boots, and he knew a ghost wouldn't have the nostril-burning scent this girl did. "Vampire," he murmured. It had been over twenty years since he'd last had to deal with one of those; after the Cullens left, there was nothing to attract others of their kind.

Jacob was tempted to phase into his long-unused wolf form and take her down, but the bloodsucker girl didn't make any threatening moves; she just stood there, staring at him, her expression tinged with… what? Sadness? Longing? So he stared back, and saw something familiar in the pallid face, the waves of dark brown hair that fell to the waistband of her jeans. _But it can't be, can it? _He asked himself. _After all these years, why would she come back? And why isn't her mate with her? _

"Bella? Is that you?" Jacob asked in a hushed tone.

The phantom-like girl nodded. "It's me, Jacob. I was in Seattle, and I thought, I'm so close, why not come visit? How are you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

To himself: _I feel like I __am__ seeing a ghost. _To her:"I'm great, Bella. Just great. How 'bout you? I mean, you look, well, you look gorgeous, but how's your life going?"

She smiled, and it was easier to see the traces of his friend in her smile. "My life is perfect. That's part of why I came, to see if everyone here is enjoying their lives as much as I am. And it looks like you are, Jake. Sue told me you found someone else, right?"

Jacob couldn't resist smiling as he thought of Lizzie. "Yeah, I did. Lizzie. She's a great girl, almost as into cars as I am. She's not as good a mechanic, though," he added playfully.

Bella laughed, a sweet, wind-chime-like sound. "No one's as good a mechanic as you. Anyway, I'm glad you're happy."

"I am. And I'm glad to see you again, Bells, I really am. Do you want to come in or something, or is Edward waiting for you around the corner?" As he spoke, Jacob looked around nervously, thinking: _I should ask if she wants to come in, just to be polite, but I really don't know if having a vamp in the house is the best idea. Plus, what would I say to Lizz? Ugh, I really hope __he's__ not here, too. If Sam gets wind that their kind's been here…_

He was spared any more anxiety by Bella saying, "No, Jake, I don't think I can come in. I do kind of want to, but I can't. Edward and a few friends are waiting for me, and I have to get back. I just wanted to see you one more time, and now I have, so I'm going."

Jacob opened his mouth to say goodbye to her, but before he could get the words out, the door opened and Lizzie's head poked out. "Jake, what's taking so long? You don't have to do a ceremonial dance to open the trash can, do you?"

Jacob jumped guiltily. "Oh, uh, no, I was just talking to…" His voice trailed off as Lizzie stepped outside and looked around the yard in confusion.

"What do you mean, Jake? There's no one else out here."

Jacob turned around and saw that she was right. The ghostly vampire girl who had once been his best friend was gone, disappearing into the night like the mystical creature she was.

As Bella sped toward Mount Rainier, with the Ferrari's headlights off, she replayed her visit to Forks in her mind. She was feeling the same nostalgia she had after receiving the first of many letters from Charlie, but this time, she felt no urge to cry. _There's nothing to cry __about__, after all. Everyone I care about is doing fine without me. As soon as I get back to Edward, I'll be fine too. _

She parked the Ferrari outside the park's visitor's center and headed into the forest on foot. It took no time at all to catch the familiar scents of Edward and the guard members. She raced through the trees until she found them finishing off a pack of mountain lions.

Edward lifted his head from the large cat's neck and smiled welcomingly. "There you are. Are you thirsty? There's plenty to go around."

The rest of the guard echoed Edward's greeting and offered Bella their catches as well. "Don't worry, we've already had more than enough to drink today," William assured her.

"Yes, Edward had us out here for almost six hours," Gregor chimed in. "Where have you been all day, anyway?"

"Gregor…" Edward said warningly.

Bella drained two mountain lions, and then the Cullens and their employees returned to their cars. Bella and Edward rode in her Ferrari, while the six guards drove a pair of Mercedes.

Edward turned on the stereo and hardly spoke until he turned onto the interstate. Then he asked, "How was your visit to Forks?"

Bella recounted her entire trip. Edward said he was glad she had found Charlie and Jacob reasonably happy. "Yes, I feel better now that I've seen that they're okay."

"Do you want to go back anytime soon, or did you find what you were looking for there today?"

Bella smiled. "No, I don't need to go back again. And I didn't find what I was looking for in Forks today. I found everything I was looking for about twenty-four years ago, the day I first started my junior year of high school. The day I met you. Since then, I haven't been looking for anything else."

She scooted closer to Edward and leaned into his shoulder. He put an arm around her shoulders, and they continued down the highway, back to their home and family.

**Wow, this ended up longer than the average epilogue! OK, this time the story's really over (sob, sniffle). Thank you to everyone who read this story, and special thanks to RedRose93, grammysharbear2, HSMfan4ever1918, and especially hermionejeangrangerweasley, for taking the time to review; I value your input. **


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